Estimated reading time at 200 wpm: 3 minutes
The survey has been live for about 24 hours. No responses yet. That may change.
Whether or not you agree our Fat Disclaimer applies
One person saw the link to the blog post. Whether they clicked and read it, I would not know. Subsequently, that same person was in conversation by text messages. The following sequenced flowed:
- “I don’t do NEWS”
- I highlight Twitter links previously sent to me — Twitter contains news. No response.
- “Articles are fine just not BS news”
- “Don’t send ANY news”
- “Just send me your articles”
When asked how could I know what counts as “BS news” in another person’s mind, there was no answer.
Me: “I’ll leave it there. It’s too complicated. All contacts will be mathematically deselected based on if I have to take on the cognitive load of such uncertainties.”
Other: “For god sake […]- It’s NOT difficult.”
I mention: “My articles may contain news. It’s too much for me to consider.”
So the instruction set looks like this:
- Send articles
- Do not send news
- My articles contain news.
- I won’t know if news in those articles will be considered ‘BS News’
- Therefore: send articles once not containing ‘BS news’ – and I won’t know what that means to another.
That is an unsolvable equation. I’m not a mind reader – thank the Good Lord (and I’m an atheist)!
My decision-making became mathematical, not emotional i.e. how much time and effort do I have to expend trying to please people? When inputs contradict each other and no further definition is offered, the only rational output is to disengage significantly.
Decision
So I have quietly adopted a boundary: mute, limit contact, preserve energy. Call it isolationist if you like. I call it the effect of mathematics. That’s not going to be about one person or one instance. That’s across all contacts. All my contacts will be treated equally – mathematically. No drama. No emotion.
Preliminary views
The fast emerging story is that people want what they want. They expect me to understand exactly what they want, when they want it and how they want it – most times by messaging apps. They don’t consider how I am supposed to know any of that without a clear indication of what’s in their minds.
The confused conversation above took longer than three minutes. The survey would take less than three minutes, and provide real clarity.
The real story is unfolding. People often want my time and opinion; why else stay in contact with me. I do not offer anything material or tangible. But it seems that there is less consideration of the effort associated with my use of time.
Most people will not adopt my position. Well, I am not most people!
Some people will be upset with me if/when they read this post. Upset about what? Reality? Facts? Or maybe it’s that I’m a ‘difficult bastard,’ to which I say ‘I don’t give a flying flamingo!’
The survey remains open. Anyone who wants to clarify their preferences can still do so in under three minutes.
